Assuming they got a similar salary-cap return on the three-year contact that Miller also signed on Wednesday then those two deals essentially offset the one-year, $9.75 million contact that Worilds signed on Tuesday, a day after the Steelers slapped a transition tag on the fourth-year veteran.

If that is the case the Steelers are only around $5.5 million over the cap and they have until Tuesday to get in compliance with the 2014 spending ceiling.

That is a small figure, especially considering the Steelers can easily get under the cap with a couple of moves.

They will clear $6.25 million in cap room by releasing offensive Levi Brown, who got hurt before playing a down for the Steelers following an in-season trade. They can save $7 million by releasing Ike Taylor or getting the veteran cornerback to accept a significant paycut.

There are several other contracts that can be restructured, and more salary-cap savings can be generated by signing quarterback Ben Roethlisberger to a new contract.

The Steelers’ salary-cap situation is frequently portrayed as dire. But in the last two days they have kept their top free-agent from hitting the open market next week while also retaining two veterans who are still vital players for them.

They still have a salary cap situation that is more than manageable with time and flexibility to get under the 2014 spending limit.